I Promise
by WaichiruHime
Summary: A thousand paper cranes, a dying wish, an unyielding promise and a love that's unending.


The rain continued its pitter-patter sounds against the roof. The dark sky was covered with thick, gloomy clouds in the early evening. A single lamp illuminates the quarters, while the captain and his subordinate enjoys the comfortable silence, only the sound of rain continuously pouring from the sky can be heard from inside.

"Eren, how many of those things do you intend to do?" The Captain asked Eren, taking a small break from all the paperwork piled up on his desk.

The younger brunette stopped from folding a white paper, looked up to his captain and gave him a small smile.

"Armin read once in a book that people long ago believed that making a thousand paper cranes will be able to grant you a wish." Eren stated.

Levi stood up from his desk and proceeded to go where Eren is currently sitting in a chair in front of the window,he picks up one paper crane and examines it.

"What's your wish anyway?" The raven asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

"It's a secret." Eren said with a bittersweet smile on his lips, the side of his face beautifully illuminated by the candle lamp.

"What if your wish doesn't come true?" The captain asked, his piercing orbs captured the brunette's Caribbean ones. The brunette's heart squeezed painfully inside his chest after hearing those looked down at his hands, one hand holding a half-folded paper crane. "I-I don't know." He simply answered.

The captain gently held Eren's chin upward so he can see those fascinating eyes that never fails to melt his heart. He tried his best to give Eren a small smile of his own. "If your thousand paper cranes wish doesn't come true, you can always wish on me." _I will do anything for you_. He tried to cheer up the brunette.

"You promise?"

" _I promise_."

And they closed the gap between them, two lips touching in the most gentle yet passionate way. A moment to remember _forever_.

* * *

" _Levi, let's break up."_

" _Forget about me, okay?"_

" _I do not love you."_

" _I never did…"_

" _I'm sorry…"_

The captain woke up again with the same nightmare. The same words that never fails to haunt him and torture him in his sleep. His cold body is trembling, and he realized that he was crying.

" _I do not love you."_

" _I never did…"_

He cried. Silent tears running down in his grief-stricken face. He remembered Eren telling him that people cry not because they're weak, but because they've been strong for too long.

 _But you're the reason I'm helplessly crying…_ he said to himself.

* * *

They lay naked in the captain's bed comfortably, arms and limbs tangled under the stained sheets, one of those rare passionate nights they shared after a whole rigorous day of training.

The brunettes head tucked under the captain's chin, nuzzling his neck and basking in his unique scent. While the captain offers the younger one with affectionate pecks on the head, cheeks, lips and everywhere his lips could reach. Their fingers intertwined together.

"Captain…"

"Hmm?"

"What do you plan to do after we defeat the titans?"

The captain took his time, thinking thoroughly for an answer.

"I haven't thought of that before, but now that I have you… I guess living with you near the sea sounds beautiful." He kissed Eren's forehead affectionately. "Would you stay with me?" The raven asked in return.

Eren was surprised at at the same time elated with his captain's answer. But he can't help but have a painful, nagging thought inside his mind together with a pang of sadness in his heart.

He forced a smile on his lips nonetheless. "Of course, my heart is where your heart is."

They made love again that night, the moon being the only witness in their bittersweet love. The captain slept peacefully without a trace of his signature scowl. Eren can't help but gently touch his face, memorizing all his features. A single tear escaped his Caribbean eyes.

 _I love you. And I'm sorry._

* * *

The final battle between the titans and humanity finally ends. Humanity has regained its long-awaited freedom. There will be no more walls and unnecessary deaths and people will be living their lives in peace.

Captain Levi once again proved that he was Humanity's Strongest Soldier, killing every titan that comes his way. And Eren has also proven his title as Humanity's Last Hope as he used his titan to conquer the enemies.

A lot of days passed, people began reconstructing their lives inside and outside the walls.

Captain Levi and Eren wanders peacefully on the seashore. The first request that the brunette asked Levi is to go outside the wall and search for the sea which is surprisingly just near the walls. And so they stood there, gazing at the sun setting on the sea, letting the cold wind rustle their hair. Eren was the one to break the calm atmosphere

" _Levi, let's break up."_

Levi turned his head to look shockingly to Eren.

" _Forget about me, okay?"_ He added.

" _Eren what the hell are you saying?!"_ Levi can't understand what kind of joke Eren is playing at him.

" _Do you remember your promise? You said you'll grant my wish. Well, this is my wish, Levi. I want you to let me go."_ The brunette said almost in a whisper.

The raven gripped both of Eren's shoulders. _"But I love you!"_ He shouted.

" _I do not love you… I never did…"_

The captain released his shoulders, the pain is too much it numbed him.

" _I'm sorry, Levi …"_

And that was the last time he saw Eren before their paths separated…

* * *

Eren was walking aimlessly to whoever knows where, not minding even a little the hard downpour of rain, he was crying madly but it was not visible by how hard the rain is currently pouring. Hanji's horrifying words kept on replaying on his mind after he paid her a visit that day, a mere check-up before the final battle between the titans.

" _I'm sorry Eren, your regenerative powers is not taking effect anymore. Your titan transformations is taking a great toll on your body."_

Eren knelt down, not caring anymore if mud sticks on his trousers. He just cried helplessly there.

" _And I believe, you only have one more chance to shift before your body completely shuts down. Eventually, you will lose your body strength and then you.. you will.."_

The bespectacled woman doesn't need to complete her sentence anymore. Eren is pretty much aware of what is happening on his own body.

The intense headaches and nosebleeds, his sudden loss of weight, and his wounds that do not heals as quickly as before. _He's dying._ And he can't do anything about it. No one can do anything about it.

So Eren hopelessly knelt there on the ground, crying his eyes out.

* * *

" _Dearest Levi,_

 _A few years should have passed by the time you read this. I'm sorry for leaving you, Levi. But it's the only choice I have after knowing that I'll only live a few months after my last titan transformation. I don't want you to live a lonely life with me around then eventually leave you behind, you deserve more than that. And I'm sorry that I lied about me never loving you, Levi, I love you. I love you. I love you. You are, and will be the one and only person I ever loved this much in the short amount of time I existed. But I want you to know that those short times I had with you are the happiest days of my life. I love you, Levi. Please live a happy life._

 _Until we meet again…_

 _Forever loving you,_

 _Eren"_

The raven knelt in front of a gravestone, holding a fragile letter on one hand, his other hand tracing the words etched on the cold stone:

 _Eren Jaeger_

 _Year 834 - 852_

 _Humanity's Last Hope_

Tears escaped the former captain's eyes, some teardrops fell on the paper cranes below the gravestone, these are the same thousand paper cranes Eren had managed to complete years ago.

End.


End file.
